Re-engaging mid-level donors without burning them out

A telemarketing campaign that brought lapsed donors back, while protecting long-term donor relationships.

A telemarketing campaign that brought lapsed donors back, while protecting the value of their past support

Food Banks Canada needed to reconnect with donors who had given meaningful one-time gifts the year before, but hadn’t come back since. These were mid-level donors, many in the $500 to $2,000 range. People who had already shown they cared enough to give at a higher level.

The risk wasn’t just losing short-term revenue. It was losing donors who could continue to give at that level, if approached the right way.

The challenge was how to reach them again without driving them away or diminishing their value as supporters. Most telemarketing programs are built around monthly giving, and Food Banks Canada was open to that. But there was also a real concern about shifting donors away from how they already preferred to give. If someone was comfortable making a $1,000 or $2,000 gift once a year, pushing them toward a smaller monthly amount could end up lowering their overall value, or turning them off entirely.

From past mid-tier campaigns, we’ve seen that these donors are more sensitive to that kind of shift. They don’t respond well to feeling redirected or challenged on how they give.

A different way to structure the ask

Instead of choosing between monthly and one-time giving, we built both into the structure of the call.

For donors in the $500 to $999 range, we led with a monthly ask. If they weren’t interested, we stepped back to a one-time gift.

For donors who had previously given $1,000 or more, we did the opposite. We started by asking them to renew their support at a similar level. If that didn’t land, we offered a monthly option as a more flexible way to stay involved.

This way, we weren’t forcing a single path. Donors had a clear choice, and the ask reflected how they had already engaged in the past.

We also kept the conversations short and focused. One round of handling concerns, then we moved on. The goal wasn’t to push for a yes at any cost, but to leave the interaction in a good place.

The scripting followed the same thinking. We acknowledged their past support, kept the tone straightforward, and avoided overexplaining the ask. It was a conversation, not a pitch.

What that looked like in practice

• Calls were segmented by previous giving level, with different ask paths for each group
• Fundraisers led with recognition of past support before moving into the ask
• Each donor was given two clear options sequentially, rather than being guided toward one outcome
• Rebuttals were limited to avoid frustration or pressure
• Conversations stayed focused on impact and continuity, not urgency

Result: the campaign delivered on both sides — immediate revenue and longer-term value

The campaign brought donors back in both ways — through renewed one-time gifts and new monthly commitments.

Across the full file:

• $1,519.78 in monthly revenue secured
  • 6.45% monthly conversion rate
• $31,175 in one-time revenue
  • 10.22% one-time gift conversion rate

For donors in the $500–$999 segment:

• 8.85% monthly conversion rate
• Average monthly gift of $62.18
• Year 1 ROI of 4.00

For donors in the $1,000+ segment:

• 16.44% one-time conversion rate
• Average one-time gift of $972.92
• Year 1 ROI of 7.25

The structure allowed the campaign to capture higher-value one-time gifts while still building a base of monthly support, without forcing donors into one or the other.

What we took from it

With mid-level donors, the goal isn’t to change how they give. It’s to give them a way back in that makes sense for them.

When the ask reflects their past behaviour, and the conversation stays respectful of that, people are more open to saying yes. In some cases, that means renewing a larger one-time gift. In others, it means moving into monthly support. Both can work, as long as the choice feels natural.

That’s where telemarketing can be at its best. It gives you room to adjust in real time, instead of locking donors into a single path.